New win 11 installation with ExplorerPatcher does not allow pinning cmd.exe to Start

dalchina · Tuesday at 5:34 PM

You might try the lnk .reg file from the table in Option 2, 6 here:

Reset and Restore Default Apps for File Types in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to reset and restore the default app association of a file type for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11. A default app is the program that Windows has assigned to open a file or link type with by default when you open it. Default apps you choose will only...

www.elevenforum.com

Not sure if that will fix this when parts of the registry are missing- I've not examined the content as it's late here.

Do you have any idea how this has happened? Have you done something unusual with file type associations?

N.B. you say this is a new PC, so if this happened recently, you might be able to use a System Restore point created before this happened.

KevTech · Tuesday at 6:00 PM

UpdatesMess said:
Here is what the inkfile key now looks like

UpdatesMess said:
However, I still do not have any entries for .ink

It is L not i.

Those ones starting with i you created should be removed.

UpdatesMess · Tuesday at 6:09 PM

KevTech said:
It is L not i.

Here are both you can import.

Those ones starting with i you created should be removed.

You are absolutely right! I misread the "L" as a Capital "i"! The Lnkfile entries, including for "IsShortcut" were already in the registry.

I will delete the new entries I made, and then take a break (and go feed the dog)!

Thank you so much for your eagle eyes!

UpdatesMess · Tuesday at 6:14 PM

dalchina said:
You might try the lnk .reg file from the table in Option 2, 6 here:

Reset and Restore Default Apps for File Types in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to reset and restore the default app association of a file type for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11. A default app is the program that Windows has assigned to open a file or link type with by default when you open it. Default apps you choose will only...

www.elevenforum.com

Not sure if that will fix this when parts of the registry are missing- I've not examined the content as it's late here.

Do you have any idea how this has happened? Have you done something unusual with file type associations?

N.B. you say this is a new PC, so if this happened recently, you might be able to use a System Restore point created before this happened.

I had misread what you had written, and interpreted the Lnkfile as inkfile, i.e., with a capital "i" instead of the actual lowercase "L"

This was pointed out by KevTech.

The Lnkfile entries, including for "IsShortcut" were already in the registry.

I will delete the new entries I made, and then take a break .

I saw that it is almost 11pm, which is late for most people, although I am a night owl, so I will still be doing something at that time!

Thank you for your help. I apologize for my error.

dalchina · 2026-07-01T01:12:23-0400

Ok, thanks. Thought we were getting close.

My suggestion of a possible System Restore point remains.. is that a possibility?

UpdatesMess · 2026-07-01T11:57:54-0400

Last night, I decided to follow the advice of several of you, and do an InPlace Repair Update.
I first created a restore point and made a backup of the registry, even though that is redundant. I also exported my ExplorerPatcher settings, although I don't think I will be using them.
I then uninstalled EP, and repeated the restore point.
I then did an InPlace Repair option 1, i.e., using Windows Update, andd rebooted.
Again, I created a Restore Point.
I then looked at the Start Menu, which looked like the default Windows 11 one. I then Pinned to Start all the additional Windows apps that had been giving me trouble (primarily ones in Windows Tools). I did that directly by entering their names into the menu, and clicking on "Pin to start" in the right panel, which worked on all except one, where I did it off a shortcut. Also, I pinned "This PC" using File Explorer.
After doing the obligatory Restore Point, I shut down for the night, and was planning to do EP today, but life has interfered!
I will let you know the results of that later today, hopefully.
Thanks, again, to all who continued to help me despite my stumbles! I hope that you all are notified of this message. This is a great community!

dalchina · 2026-07-01T12:36:44-0400

FYI - restore points created before the in-place upgrade repair install are not retained after it.

spapakons · 2026-07-01T12:39:04-0400

I know... And if the upgrade fails there is no restore point to go back to... Thankfully every time Windows 11 fails for some reason it always restores the earlier version automatically.

UpdatesMess · 2026-07-01T15:35:56-0400

dalchina said:
FYI - restore points created before the in-place upgrade repair install are not retained after it.

I had to laugh. I guess it makes sense as the new version would not be compatible with restore points, but it is a long line of things that makes me wonder if there are any everyday users at MS who have to face this.

UpdatesMess · 2026-07-01T15:37:16-0400

spapakons said:
I know... And if the upgrade fails there is no restore point to go back to... Thankfully every time Windows 11 fails for some reason it always restores the earlier version automatically.

But what if MS thinks that it is NOT a failure, while you, as user, are tearing your hair out because it totally messed up your workspace!!

spapakons · 2026-07-01T16:18:50-0400

Unfortunately I have been there too. The only solution is to backup your data, format the disk and reinstall Windows. Not very pleasant experience...

UpdatesMess · 2026-07-01T23:22:58-0400

Here we go again! I downloaded EP, and ran it. I did not make any changes, but it seems to start with Taskbar Style of WIndows 10. I haven't done anything else explicitly with EP or any other programs.
I then tried to pin various apps to Start, such as Cmd, Control Panel, etc. Once again, I was unable to pin any of the Windows Tools icons to Start, either using the app itself, or after creating a shortcut to it. Again, in some cases, Windows offers the "pin to start" option, says it has done it, and, as my wife's cousin would say, it lies like a rug!
I also cannot seem to pin This Pc, which I was previously able to do.
I'm going to quit for the night!

PS. When I ran EP, it came back with a message about symbols, which it had done earlier, also, but I don't remember seeing what it now said about some symbols not being loaded:

KevTech · 2026-07-02T00:07:04-0400

UpdatesMess said:
I then tried to pin various apps to Start, such as Cmd, Control Panel, etc. Once again, I was unable to pin any of the Windows Tools icons to Start, either using the app itself, or after creating a shortcut to it.

Did you try these before installing EP?

It may be EP messing this up.

You cannot pin to start the control panel from windows tools.
You can right-click create shortcut then right click on that and pin to start.

As for CMD and regedit I had no issues having pin to start for those in windows tools.

spapakons · 2026-07-02T00:46:01-0400

Just checked, I searched for Control Panel using the search icon on the Taskbar and then I right-clicked on the result and there was a Pin to Start option. No need to create a shortcut first. I run Explorer Patcher with Windows 10 taskbar style but also Open Shell with Windows 7 start menu, if that makes any difference. I didn't pin it because I didn't want to mess my start menu, but it should be possible since the option was there. Maybe you have to switch start menu to Windows 10 from Explorer Patcher.

PS: I right-clicked on the Control Panel at the left (list of found apps), not at the right side of the Search window (results), if that matters.

dalchina · 2026-07-02T01:10:37-0400

@UpdatesMess

At present we have no idea if this is an effect of explorerpatcher.

Have you yet tried Pin to Start in Safe Mode?

You could of course uninstall explorerpatcher to see if there's any change and eliminate it as possible cause.

spapakons · 2026-07-02T03:14:13-0400

If you are replying to me, no I haven't tried to pin Control Panel because I wouldn't like to mess my own start menu. Besides in Windows 7 style of start menu (via Open Shell) Control Panel is pinned at the right column by default. Also I wouldn't like to uninstall Explorer Patcher just for doing an experiment. If I have some time later, I might try that on a virtual machine.

dalchina · 2026-07-02T03:22:25-0400

I wasn't and have now clarified that for you.. but Safe Mode should mean ExplorerPatcher isn't running so you could try that too --I've not been following your story as it's not realistic to deal with two people's issues in 1 thread.

spapakons · 2026-07-02T04:26:04-0400

I don't have any issues, I just posted to say that in my system the "Pin to start" option is available. I mentioned Explorer Patcher and Open Shell, just in case I have "Pin to Start" due to one of the two applications.

UpdatesMess · 2026-07-02T10:33:58-0400

KevTech said:
Did you try these before installing EP?

It may be EP messing this up.

You cannot pin to start the control panel from windows tools.
You can right-click create shortcut then right click on that and pin to start.

View attachment 175764

As for CMD and regedit I had no issues having pin to start for those in windows tools.

View attachment 175765

View attachment 175766

Thanks.
I did try to pin all these icons to Start before installing EP, and was successful in doing so for all of them.
I followed your suggestion, created a shortcut to Control Panel, and was able to pin it to start. Unfortunately, this is what it looks like when pinned, which is not quite as useful if the icon was also pinned:

If I get to Cmd by clicking on Windows Tools, and then right click on Cmd, it does NOT offer a Pin to start option. However, if I just enter "Com" when I open Start, and it shows Cmd, then there is a Pin to Start in the panel on the right. However, clicking on that makes WIndows say that it has been pinned to Strt, but it is not there in Start. In your case, does WIndows actuall pin Cmd to Start if you click on the "Pin to Start" option?

UpdatesMess · 2026-07-02T10:42:59-0400

spapakons said:
Just checked, I searched for Control Panel using the search icon on the Taskbar and then I right-clicked on the result and there was a Pin to Start option. No need to create a shortcut first. I run Explorer Patcher with Windows 10 taskbar style but also Open Shell with Windows 7 start menu, if that makes any difference. I didn't pin it because I didn't want to mess my start menu, but it should be possible since the option was there. Maybe you have to switch start menu to Windows 10 from Explorer Patcher.

PS: I right-clicked on the Control Panel at the left (list of found apps), not at the right side of the Search window (results), if that matters.

I also can see a Pin to Start if I enter "Con" in Start,

and when I click on it, it says that it is pinned, but there is no such pin when I look at Start. I even tried to Restart File Explorer to see if it made a difference, but it did not.
I am using Win 10 start menu from EP.

New win 11 installation with ExplorerPatcher does not allow pinning cmd.exe to Start

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